Aryna Sabalenka secures stunning comeback to reach Berlin Open semis
World number one Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a set and 4-0 down to defeat Nikola Bartunkova and reach the Berlin Open semi-finals.
The Belarusian looked on the verge of a straight-sets exit after being overpowered early on by her talented Czech opponent.
However, she steadied herself and rediscovered her rhythm to secure a hard-fought 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory.
Finding the inner tiger
The top seed admitted she was initially stunned by the blistering pace of the 20-year-old’s groundstrokes.
“I did not know what to do. I was thinking woah, that’s how it feels to play against me.”
She praised her opponent’s relentless ball-striking before explaining her own mental shift.
“Any ball I would give her she would smack it for a winner. What a player – a future superstar for sure. I just tried to bring this little tiger inside of me and fight for this match.”
Building momentum for Wimbledon
This resilient display arrives as a timely confidence boost ahead of the grass-court major at SW19, where she reached the final four last year.
Questions had been raised about her mental fortitude following a surprise quarter-final defeat at the French Open.
In Paris, she relinquished a commanding lead against Diana Shnaider, but reversed that narrative spectacularly in the German capital.
Overcoming the early onslaught
Bartunkova, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, dominated the opening exchanges.
Flat strokes and booming returns confounded the world number one, who quickly found herself trailing 5-1 in the first set.
The world number 62 carried that momentum into the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead before her experienced rival finally sparked into life.
Winning five consecutive games, the reigning Australian Open champion forced a tie-break and levelled the contest.
The decider proved a tense affair, but a trademark forehand cross-court winner on her third match point eventually sealed progression.
She will now face world number four Jessica Pegula for a place in the final, following the American’s tight two-set victory over Madison Keys.
